Display fixture



Au .-13,-193s. AYRE 4 2,010,839

' v DISPLAY FIXTURE Filed March 24, 1934 I I I'E S r i Z L.

WMZM

ATTORNEY j :NVENTOR Patented Aug. 13, 1935 I 010,839 f DISPLAY FIXT E 1 Waldemar Ayres, Endicott, N; Y., assignor to ln- 1 ternational Business Machines 7 Corporation,

New York,- N. Y., a corporation of- NewYork Application March 24, nease iairio'. 717,168

4 Claims. (01. 40-102) This invention relates to fixtures in general.

The broad object is to provide an improved display. fixture suitable for installation in or, as

display devices and 5 part of desks; tables, Cabinets, and the like, or

for mounting on a wall or in. a wall recess. 7

An object is to provide a combined display rack and cabinet. 1 1

V Another object isto provide a display rack having a plurality of display leaves or units which are easily removed and in which the articles to be displayed are easily inserted.

An objectis to provide a display pocket or unit whichis simple and compact inconstruction. Other objects are to .provide a display rack which is simple "in construction, easy to handie, and can be cheaply. manufactured.

Various other objects, advantages, and featuresof the invention.willgbefmentionedin the following description and claims" or will beapparent from a study of specification, claims, and

I drawing.

" over to form a substantially horizontal tongue I In the drawing:

' Fig. 1 is a vertical section. j I v ,Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the display rack removed from its cabinet.

The display rack may be housed in a cabinet comprising a base member l8, side panels like i i, a back panel l2, a top I3, and a door |4 hinged at its lower edge to base member In. A handle or knob i5 is provided by means of whichthe door maybe openedfAny suitable locking device or latch can be used to retain the door M in closed position- The cabinet may be made of wood ormetal, as desired, but is shown in Fig. 1 as made of wood.

Secured to the top of base member I0, as by screws l6, are two rails I! having tongues |8 which are received by grooves IS in a base member 2|) which forms part of the display rack. The front or left end of the base member is cylindrical or curved as shown in Fig. 2 while the rear end may be straight.

Mounted upon the base member 20 is a frame member 2| composed of a single piece of sheet metal bent to a flange 22 which is secured to base member 2|] by any suitable means, as bolts, rivets or screws. Two braces or brackets 23 may be secured to frame member 2| and base member 20 to hold the former immovable relative to the latter. v

The upper end of frame member 2| is bent "or flange 24 whose front edge is'curved to correspend with the curved front end of base member 20, the curved edge of the flange overlying the curved part of base member 20. Adjacent both of these edges is a row of holes 25, 26 so disposed that for eachjhole 26 in member 20 there is a hole directly above in, flange 24. These holes are adaptedto loosely receive rods 21 provided with collars 28 at their lower ends; The rods may be removed by pulling them up far enough forthe lower ends to clear the holes 26 "and pulling them forwardly and downwardly until'the upper ends of' the rods clear holes 25.

Eachrod is adapted to support a pocket or display unit 29 whichispreferably made of a fstiff, pliant; andstitchable material like leather,

artificial leather, fibre, or the like. Each unit 29 comprises front and back elements '35, 3|

composed of twosheets of material stitchedz-together along the bottom edge and one side=as at 3 2, 33. z

Attached to the other side of each unit 23; by stitches 34 is a folded strip 35' which may be of the same material as elements 38, 3| and forms a' tube or passage adapted to receive rod 21, the stitches 34 also serving to secure elements 30,,3I together; One or both elements 30, 3| may be provided with a large rectangular opening 39 which permits a viewtd be had of a map, photograph, chart, or similarflat article placed in; the unit 29 by sli'ding such article ver- "tically downward between "elements 3|]; 3|.

desired, a sheet 31 of celluloid, or similar flexible transparent material may be inserted in front of the article inunit 29 to prevent soiling of such article. When both elements 3e, 3! have openings 36-,two sheets of transparent material can be provided and articles placed back to back in a unit, thereby increasing the capacity of the unit. V

In order to permit ease in inserting or removing articles in the various units, the elements 30, 3| are cut away at 38 to provide a finger' opening enabling one to easily grasp articles inserted in the units without spreading the elethe number of holes 25, 26 and the thickness of the units 29. As-the units are not made of glass the sheet metal, as is usually the case in such constructions, a large number of them can be used in a relatively small space without putting ex cessive strains on the brackets 23 and frame member 2|. This is not the case when the units are of glass and sheet metal as then the weight and size of the units are important considerations. It is plain that a rack constructed in accordance with the present invention will be cheaper, more compact, lighter in construction and of greater capacity than prior racks constructed of glass and sheet metal.

If desired the cabinet may form part of a desk, table, filing cabinet bookcase, or other articles of furniture or the rack may'be mounted in a wall recess. The frame 2! may also be bolted directly to a wall thus eliminating brackets 23 and base member 20. When this is the case the flange 22 will be made like the tongue 24 and similarly provided with holes 26 to receive rods 21.

When the rack is not in use it may be pushed into its cabinet or recess as in Fig. 1 and the door closed, thus protecting the units against dirt or against unauthorized examination of exhibits in against the ravages of light, pilfering, or unauthorized inspection.

Due to the fact that the units 29 are much lighter in weight than glass and wood or glass and sheet metal units of the same length and breadth,

a rack containing a given number of units 29 will be much easier to handle than former racks of equivalent capacity and the base member 20 will slide very easily even when a large number of units 29 are provided in a single fixture. Thus roller or ball bearing slides for mounting the rack in its cabinet will not be required and the simple and inexpensive tongue-and-groove guides of Figs. 1

and 2 may be used instead.

Due to the lightness and thinness of the units a 29 and the type of construction described there is no practical limit to the number or size of such units in a given fixture as is the case with former constructions. lhe material of which the units 29 are made makes it possible to print or emboss titles, numbers, letters, or ornamentation on them at little cost and by simple machine operations.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A display rack comprising a cabinet provided with a door, a pair of guides mounted on the base of the cabinet in its interior, a member slidably mounted on said guides, a one piece frame carried by said member, and display units pivotally mounted in said frame like the leaves of a book, each unit being adapted to removably hold a flat article such as a map or chart.

2. Adisplay rack comprising a base member, a frame mounted on said member, a series of removable rods arranged in an arc on said frame and said member, and a plurality of display units supported by said rods and composed of stiff, thin pliant sheets secured along three edges to provide an envelope-like pocket adapted to receive a flat article such as a map or chart for display purposes.

3. A display unit for display racks comprising two sheets of thin pliant material stitched together along three edges to form an envelope-like pocket, at least one of said sheets having an opening to permit a view of a map or similar article inserted in the unstitched end of the pocket, and a mounting strip stitched to one edge of the pocket so as to form a tubular passage adapted to receive a rod for mounting the pocket. I 4. A display fixture comprising a cabinet having a door and a base, guide means mounted on the .base in the interior of the cabinet and behind the door, a base frame slidably mounted on the guide means, an upright frame mounted on the base frame, a series of pivot rods jointly supported by the base frame and upright frame and arranged in an arc, and display units carried by said rods, each display unit consisting of an envelope-like structure of thin pliant material adapted to removably hold their articles such as maps and the like.

WALDEMAR AYRES 

